Jose Aldo’s hoping for his rematch with Conor McGregor to come at UFC 205 in New York City this November, but he thinks the only way the UFC makes it happen is by McGregor losing to Nate Diaz in that rematch next month at UFC 202.
In a media scrum with Brazilian press in Rio de Janeiro this week, Aldo discussed the possible outcomes of that UFC 202 bout, and why he needs McGregor to lose again to get his opportunity at revenge.
“If he loses [to Diaz], it’s highly likely that they put us to fight on November 12, at Madison Square Garden. The Irish community is big over there,” Aldo said (via Guilherme Cruz at MMAFighting.com). “But if he wins, I think they will do a third fight between them and ruin all my plans. If I had to bet, it would be Nate again. From what I saw he’s way bigger, stronger, and he’s training. He got that fight on short notice and still was able to win. Well trained, it’s really hard for McGregor. If you look at [Diaz’s] fights, even when he’s getting beat, he finds a way to come back. If I had to bet, it would be Nate.
“…He has to lose. Otherwise, they will do a third fight. I’m rooting for him to lose, of course. If he wins, they will do another rematch with Nate, and that’s bad. He has to lose. He has to lose. He will lose.”
Aldo believes he’s going to wind up on the UFC 205 card anyway, and knows there are other fights to be had in the division if McGregor’s not next.
“Then I’m f***ed,” Aldo commented when asked what happens if McGregor doesn’t return to featherweight. “But I really hope it happens. If it’s a fight against [Max] Holloway, I don’t see any problem. This event in New York will make history. I really hope I’m at this card because I want to be part of history.”
Penick’s Analysis: Whether he fights McGregor next or not, Aldo on the New York card against Max Holloway would be a good addition. Even if McGregor beats Diaz, the fight with Aldo may make sense for the UFC to book so as to not continue holding that rematch up, because putting all three fights in a trilogy between McGregor and Diaz in one year may be overkill. A McGregor win means the third bout between he and Diaz needs to happen at some point down the line, but it’s not necessary to rush it for New York.
[Photo (c) Gary A. Vasquez via USA Today Sports]
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